Farnell element14
and Atmel today announced the launch of Atmels new SAMA5D3
Xplained evaluation kit, a low-cost fast prototyping and evaluation
platform for microprocessor-based design.

The board, which
is based on Atmels SAMA5D3 ARM&REG; Cortex&REG;-A5 processor-based
MPU, comes with a rich set of ready-to-use connectivity and storage
peripherals, along with Arduino shield-compatible expansion headers
for easy customization. A Linux distribution and software package
also enables rapid software development. The board is a perfect
target for headless Android, too.

Our partnership
with Farnell element14 on the development and manufacturing of
this kit and its first set of expansion boards enables engineers
from all communities to build applications requiring rapid prototyping
and evaluation for their MPU designs, said Jacko Wilbrink,
Sr. Marketing Director of Microprocessors, Atmel Corporation.
Offering features such as mid-range graphical user interfaces,
capacitive touch capability, wired and wireless communication,
free-of-charge Linux distribution and Qt developers kit,
were incredibly proud of this newest member of the Xplained
family.

Atmel's
ARM Cortex-A5 processor-based MPUs deliver balance in a rich
set of devices and ultra low power consumption that meet your
every industrial design need, said David Shen, Chief Technology
Officer at Farnell element14. This new Atmel Xplained kit,
in addition to our soon-to-be-available expansion boards which
will add more capabilities to the SAMA5D3 platform, will be very
helpful to professional engineers as well as makers, hobbyists,
educators and students, both within and outside their main employment.

The SAMA5D3 series
is ideal for wearable computing and mobile applications where
low power and a small footprint are critical.

The SAMA5D3 Xplained
features:

Atmels
Xplained hardware platform for evaluation and rapid prototyping
Fully documented and readily available Cortex-A5 based MPU solution
Rich set of peripherals, specifically on connectivity
USB power (no need for power adaptor)
Flexibility  Arduino-compatible connectors, enabling the
user to leverage the extensive Arduino shields ecosystem
Open Source hardware  All design files available; easy
to reuse in customer projects
Software package with drivers and examples for bare metal developers
Qt developers kit and Linux distribution free of charge
The SAMA5D3 Xplained is priced at USD £48.76 and will ship
in mid-March 2014 from Farnell element14 in Europe.

The new kit is
the latest in Farnell element14s diverse variety of solutions
ranging from starter kits to complete development boards, including
the newest releases and exclusive bundles. For more information
on dev kits visit Farnell element14s dev kit HQ.

We are
excited about the accelerating demand for embedded control development
platforms and especially value our continued partnership with
Atmel for providing turnkey power solutions for their broadly
deployed SAMA5 and SAM9 MPUs, said Mark Cieri, Vice President
of Sales and Marketing at Active-Semi. Atmels new
SAMA5D3 Xplained evaluation kit focuses on enabling designers
with a low-cost, fast prototyping platform across a wide breadth
of customer MPU-based applications, and our Atmel-optimized ACT8865
and ACT8945A PMIC power devices play a key role by reducing board
size and design complexity.

About Farnell element14
Farnell element14 is a high-service distributor of technology
products and solutions for electronic system design, maintenance
and repair. Bringing together the latest products, services,
and development software, all connected to an innovative online
engineering community where purchasers and engineers can access
peers and experts, a wide range of independent technical information
and helpful tools. Whether researching a new technology, designing
an electronic product, or looking for parts to repair an existing
system, Farnell is the trusted source to find the answers and
parts you need to keep your project on the fast track, right
from the start.

Farnell element14
is the operating business of Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl) in
Europe.

Operations
in 35 different countries
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Global leader in legislation RoHS, WEEE, REACH March 2014